Hector Ingard
His Eminence, the Rt. Honorable Hector Ingard is an actor, former Prime Minister of, and is currently the first Lead Director of the United Empire of Gilana. He first came of national prominence during the Gilanan General Election of 2003, in which the Republican National party took control of Parliament. Ingard, as the head of the party during the election, was shortly thereafter elected to the position of Prime Minister. He is one of the few holdovers from the Republic of Gilana, albeit in a significantly altered office. Early life Hector Ingard was born to Gregan and Sacha Ingard in the village of Tulane in the Queendom of Luvenia on October 31, 1954. He is the second of three children. Ingard was schooled in the Tulane school system, where he received above-average grades. During his last year of secondary school, he traveled to Barrion, where he met members of the government, including then-Prime Minister Nicholas Segan. It was this trip that first interested him in politics, according to later interviews. Acting career During high school, Ingard was active in the school's drama society. After he left school, he joined the Luvenia Drama Guild. With the group, he acted in four major plays in seven years, and was the male lead in two of them of them. After a performance of Gilanan favorite Mary Hibbard, Ingard was approached by talent manager Jim McManus. McManus was looking for a "no-name" to play the lead role in what became the 1979 film "Roadtrip to Yencko." The film became a blockbuster, and Ingard eventually switched his career to film full time, although he appeared on stage again three times over the next seven years. Parliamentarian Despite his interest in the subject, Ingard initially was a neutral in the realm of politics. Though many hopefuls for office would seek his endorsement, Ingard would refuse to favor any candidate. However, in 1984, Ingard announced that he would seek the candidacy for Parliament for his home constituency of Vernon against incumbent Nancy Fiorita. Fiorita, Ingard argued, had unnecessarily increased the tax strain on the common man, woman, and family. Moreso, he continued, she had voted for misuse of the people's taxes by spending the money of projects that had no application to the common man, only the elites. The arguments struck a chord with the constituency. Polls consistently showed that Fiorita's party, Democratic Unity was falling fast out of favor across the board in Gilana. Ingard promised to lower taxes, spend responsibly, end corruption amongst members of Parliament, and lead his constituency and Gilana into the "Golden Age." The turnover in Parliament the next year has since been popularly termed the "Golden Revolution." Ingard's performance in Parliament has been consistently rated favorably by constituents. Although initially criticized by some for failing to deliver on his promises, Ingard quickly began using contacts he had made during his show days to achieve his campaign goals. He has since been cited as a politician willing to cross party lines in order to get a bill passed. In 1994, Ingard was appointed Minister for the Economy. Leader of the opposition Democratic Unity returned to power following the elections of 1995, and after the showing, former Prime Minister Daniel Ewan left politics behind. Ingard, popular within the party, was voted to succeed Ewan as leader of the Republican National party. Ingard retained his leadership position, becoming Shadow Minister for the Economy. As leader of Republican National, Ingard vowed to return his party to leadership of the Gilana. In his acceptance speech, he remained cautiously optimistic: :"My friends, today we begin our party anew. We have suffered a defeat, this is true, but I think we know why we lost. Pride, my friends, pride. We let ourselves grow too accustomed to the status quo, when clearly the people were speaking differently. However, we can use what we understand fully now in order to better ourselves. There shall come a time when again we will find opportunity calling us, and there will we be, to answer its call. I know not when this day will be, but we will fight for our beliefs, and for the chance again, to lead this country in glory." -- Hector Ingard; Opposition Leader Acceptance Speech; January 20, 2006. As leader of the opposition, Ingard promoted the party's goals. He was particularly instrumental in passing the Defense Act of 1998, and the Tax Relief Package of 1997. He was also key to blocking many bills Democratic Unity wished to pass. Prime Minister Following the revelation of the details of the Chamberland Affair in early 2003, then-Prime Minister Horace Chamberland called for a General Election. Ingard called the actions of the Chamberland administration a "disgrace to the great country. It is an insult to our lord Kyo. And that the Democrats should allow this to happen shows that they will do anything to keep power." The results of the election were stunning, with Republican National winning 203 out of 300 seats in Parliament. Ingard promised to restore honor to Parliament and the country. Ingard's time as Prime Minister is viewed favorably. Ingard's agenda to keep taxes low was easily passed by the supermajority in Parliament, and his vow to keep corruption out of government is seen to have been followed. However, some actions by Ingard have been questioned. One of his first actions upon assuming the Prime Ministery was to appoint relative newcomer member of parliament Dymero Invisa to the prominent post of Minister for Foreign Relations. Ingard first met Invisa during the youth's time as a member of the Junior Parliamentary Committee, and proclaimed the youngster's future as bright. Ingard defended his decision, citing Invisa's earlier experience in the Junior Parliamentary Committee, and the fact that several of his proposals on that council had become law. Invisa was already well known, he argued, and would be able to work well with his foreign counterparts, "which is needed in a time in which we must re-establish our status in the world." Ingard was again criticized for supporting Invisa's bid later that year for the Gilanan Presidency, which had been traditionally awarded to a more experienced and veteran member of Parliament. Ingard's support is said to have helped Invisa immensely, who was later voted into the position. Lead Director During the Gilanan War of 2007, Ingard was appointed as the Lead Aide of President Invisa's Aides to the President program. Ingard's job was primarily organizing the other aides, but he took an active role in getting humanitarian assistance to all parts of Gilana. He also worked with provincial governors in order to keep law and order during the fighting. After the end of the war and governmental reorganization, Emperor Invisa announced Ingard as the first Lead Director of Gilana. Ingard remains head of the re-purposed Aides programs, now known as the Council of Provincial Directors. Within the old executive institutions, Ingard remains the de facto head of the Imperial Cabinet, although the council is now under the auspices of the Emperor rather than the Lead Director/Prime Minister as with the old government. Finally, Ingard remains the head of Parliament, although the body's power has been severely limited by the new constitution. Criticisms In addition to the issues of Cabinet appointment discussed above, Ingard has been subject to two sexual harassment cases. The first, in 1980, was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. The second, in 2000, was thrown out of court on the basis of perjury on part of the accuser. Ingard has also been accused by anti-Imperial groups, including the lobbying group Return to Old Gilana, of colluding with Emperor Dymero Invisa to "...destroy democracy in Gilana, and replace it with tyranny." Personal life Many details of Ingard's personal life were revealed during his days as an actor. He has an active interest in sailing, and was an adviser to the Gilanan admiralty in 2005 on the defense of inner Gilanan rivers and estuaries. Ingard also enjoys bowling and horse racing. In 1991, he became a spokesman for the Luvenia Gambling Addiction Association. Ingard had previously experienced a bout of gambling addiction from 1981-1983 and has since recovered fully. Ingard married fellow stage actress Elizabeth Verian in 1976, after co-starring with her on the hit production of "Scats." They have had two children together, Eliza (31) and Severus (24). Ingard's older sister, Victoria, is the current governor of Luvenia. Ingard is a member of the Kyonin of Gilana and regularly attends the Kyonin of Barrion as well as the Kyonin of Tulane while back at home. Ingard has received honorary doctorates from the University of Luvenia and the University of Gilana. Titles Upon his election to Parliament, Ingard became The Honorable Hector Oswald Ingard, MP. Upon his ascension to the post of Prime Minister, the title changed to The Rt. Honorable Hector Oswald Ingard, MP, Prime Minister of Gilana. Finally, upon the transition to the position of Lead Director, the title changed once more to His Eminence, The Rt. Honorable Hector Oswald Ingard, Lead Director of Gilana. External links *Official Twitter Feed Category: Gilana Category: Individuals